A
large portion of fMRI experiments include visual stimulation. An unblocked
vision window can improve subject's coziness, and hence improve the
reliability of visual stimulation experiment. Normally fMRI experiments
demand high stability of MRI scanners including coil and other components, to
ensure stable signal magnitude for temporal measurements. Using Siemens Trio
Tim system and its 12-ch head coil, the signal fluctuation with a signal shot
EPI sequence without stimulation can be about 0.4-0.5 percent on water
phantom. In this project, we developed an 8-ch TxRx phase-array head coil ,
which has two obvious advantages in fMRI. First, a rectangular window of size
116mmx74mm is opened in the upper part of the coil to provide a comfortable
vision view for subjects. Second, there is significant improvement in signal
stability, which helps to detect the small signal change during fMRI
scanning.